Telangana Travel Guide: Hyderabad, Warangal, Ramappa and More

Photo: Rangan Datta Wiki, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

Telangana sits on the Deccan plateau, in the middle of south India. Hyderabad, its capital, gives most visitors their first taste: the Charminar, the Qutb Shahi tombs and a famous biryani. Beyond the city lie the Kakatiya temples and lakes around Warangal, pilgrim towns on the Godavari and the villages where ikat cloth is still tied and woven by hand.

Telangana is a city of minarets and a countryside of Kakatiya stone.

Where to go

• Hyderabad's old city: the Charminar, the Mecca Masjid, the bangle shops of Laad Bazaar and the courtyards of the Chowmahalla Palace. Read Hyderabad's old city after dark.
• Golconda and the Qutb Shahi tombs: a fort on a granite hill, and below it the domed tombs of the kings who built it.
• Warangal: the stone gateways of the Kakatiya fort, the Thousand Pillar Temple at Hanamkonda and the Bhadrakali temple above its lake.
• Ramappa Temple, Palampet: a thirteenth-century Shiva temple with a tower of light "floating bricks" and polished bracket figures of dancers; a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021.
• Laknavaram Lake: a forest lake in Mulugu district, with a suspension bridge to its small islands.
• Bhadrachalam: the temple of Sita and Rama on the bank of the Godavari, crowded at Sri Rama Navami.
• Yadagirigutta: a hill temple to Lakshmi Narasimha, rebuilt in black granite, within a day trip of Hyderabad.
• Pochampally: the handloom village of Telangana ikat, where you can watch yarn tied, dyed and woven.
• Kuntala and the Adilabad forests: waterfalls and Gond villages in the north, best just after the monsoon.

Main cities

Hyderabad, with its twin Secunderabad, is the capital. It was the shared capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for ten years after 2014 and is now Telangana's alone. Visitors go for the old city, Golconda, the Salar Jung Museum and the food.

• Warangal: the old Kakatiya capital, and the base for Ramappa and Laknavaram.
• Karimnagar: the fine silver filigree craft and the hill fort at Elgandal.
• Khammam: a hilltop fort, and the road to Bhadrachalam.
• Nizamabad: a fort above the town and the carved temple at Dichpally.
• Mahabubnagar: Pillalamarri, a vast old banyan tree spread over a whole garden.
• Adilabad: forests, waterfalls and the Gond tribal belt.

Festivals

• Bathukamma (September or October): for nine days women stack seasonal flowers into tall cones, sing around them and set them afloat on lakes.
• Bonalu (July or August, in the month of Ashada): offerings to the goddess Mahakali at Golconda, Secunderabad and the old city, with processions.
• Sammakka Saralamma Jatara, Medaram (every two years, in January or February): a vast tribal gathering in the forest of Mulugu district. It was last held from 28 to 31 January 2026.
• Ramzan in Hyderabad (it moves about eleven days earlier each year; in 2027, around February and March): night markets and haleem stalls around the Charminar.
• Sankranti (January): kites over the rooftops and rangoli at doorsteps.

Hindu festivals follow the lunar calendar and can move by a day; check before you go.

Food to try

• Hyderabadi biryani: rice and meat cooked together under a sealed lid. Read how Hyderabadi biryani is served.
• Haleem: wheat, lentils and meat slow-cooked into a thick porridge, mostly sold during Ramzan.
• Irani chai and Osmania biscuits: sweet milky tea with salty-sweet biscuits in the old cafés.
• Sarva pindi: a crisp rice-flour flatbread with lentils, chilli and sesame.
• Qubani ka meetha: stewed dried apricots, served with cream.
• Double ka meetha: a bread pudding soaked in sweetened milk.

Stories from Telangana

• Charminar and Hyderabad’s Old City: Timings, Fees and Bazaars
• Hyderabadi Biryani: How It Is Cooked, Served and Ordered
• Cities in Telangana: Hyderabad, Warangal and the District Towns

Plan your visit

Best season	October to February is dry and mild. April to June is very hot, often above 40°C. The monsoon, June to September, fills the lakes and waterfalls.
How to reach	Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad, Hyderabad, is the air gateway. Main railway stations: Secunderabad Junction, Hyderabad Deccan (Nampally), Kacheguda and Cherlapally in the city, and Kazipet Junction for Warangal.
Getting around	In Hyderabad, use the Metro, MMTS suburban trains, app cabs and autos. State TGSRTC buses run across Telangana. A car with driver suits Warangal, Ramappa and Laknavaram, as a long day or an overnight trip.
Where to stay	Hyderabad: Banjara Hills or Jubilee Hills, the area near the Charminar for the old city, or HITEC City. Hanamkonda or Warangal for the Kakatiya sites; Bhadrachalam town for the Godavari temple.
How long to spend	Three days for Hyderabad. Five or six days to add Warangal, Ramappa and Laknavaram. A week with Bhadrachalam or Pochampally.

Open Telangana, India in Google Maps

Questions people ask

When is the best time to visit Telangana?

October to February, when days are dry and mild. Summer, from April to June, is very hot.

How many days do I need in Hyderabad?

Three days covers the old city, Golconda, the Qutb Shahi tombs, a museum and the food. Add two or three days for Warangal and Ramappa.

How do I reach the Ramappa temple?

Ramappa is at Palampet in Mulugu district, about 200 km north-east of Hyderabad. Take a train to Kazipet or Warangal, then drive or take a bus via Mulugu; many visitors combine it with Laknavaram Lake.

Is it safe to visit Telangana in the monsoon?

Yes, with care. Heavy showers can flood low-lying roads in Hyderabad, and waterfall areas in the north get slippery and fast-flowing; check weather alerts before you set out.

Written by Muthu, editor of Aura of India. Sources: Telangana State Portal, Government of Telangana, UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana, Medaram Jathara official website, Government of Telangana. Last verified: 13 October 2026.

Your turn: Charminar at night or Ramappa in the early light: which Telangana scene stays with you?